The present invention relates to an automatic disk changer which houses a large number of disks, such as a video disk and a compact disk, and is manipulated outside to choose a desired one of the disks to play the chosen disk.
In a conventional automatic disk changer of such kind, pairs of guide grooves are provided on a large number of levels at one side portion of a case or at both the sides of a conveyance means, and trays containing disks are inserted in the guide grooves so that the trays can be pulled out from the grooves. A player for playing each of the disks is installed in the case at the upper or lower portion thereof. Each of the trays containing the disks can be pulled out from the guide groove by the conveyance means movable back and forth between the player and the trays and then be conveyed to the player by the conveyance means so as to be played by the player.
Since the disks are piled up in a column at one side portion of the case of the conventional automatic disk changer or in columns at both the sides of the conveyance means, there are problems that the number of the disks which can be housed in the changer is relatively limited and the width of the case is very large. To pull out the tray from each tray guide and convey the pulled-out tray to the disk player, the depth of the case needs to be made not less than the sum of the depth of the tray housed in the tray guide and that of the tray pulled out therefrom. For that reason, there is a problem that the depth of the case is large. If the large number of disks are to be housed in the case limited in width and depth, the disks can be only piled up therein. For that reason, the height of the case is so large that there are problems that it is troublesome to newly place another disk in the case and the length of the movement of the conveyance means is large to make it time-consuming to convey each of the disks to the disk player after choosing the disk.
Also, in a conventional automatic disk changer, disks are set to or played by a player arranged in an upper or lower portion of a case. Therefore, unless the play of the set disk is completed or finished, it is impossible to perform a preparatory operation for the next disk. It takes a long time to perform the preparatory operation from the end of the play of the first disk to the start of the play of the second disk.
On the other hand, in the conventional automatic disk changer, when the tray is pulled from the tray guide or when the pulled tray is inserted into the disk player, it is necessary to exactly align the tray transfer means and the tray guide with each other or the tray transfer means and the disk player with each other. If this is not the case, it is impossible to transfer the tray as desired. Namely, it is necessary to move the tray transfer means up and down. Accordingly, it is necessary to make the case of strong material in order to prevent the guide rails for supporting the tray transfer means from inclining.
However, in order to prevent the inclination of the guide rails, it is necessary to use a number of connecting members and components having a large thickness. This leads to the increase of the weight of the changer and of the manufacturing cost thereof.